Zonal Velocity Bands and the Solar Activity Cycle

TL;DR

This study investigates the relationship between subsurface zonal flow patterns and surface magnetic features on the Sun, revealing correlations with the solar activity cycle and spatial distributions.

Contribution

It demonstrates the spatial and temporal correlation between zonal flow bands and magnetic features like sunspots and polar faculae, highlighting their association with the solar activity cycle.

Findings

Sunspot butterfly pattern coincides with fast zonal flow streams.

Polar faculae distribution aligns with high-latitude zonal flow bands.

Part of sunspot distribution overlaps with slow flow streams.

Abstract

We compare the zonal flow pattern in subsurface layers of the Sun with the distribution of surface magnetic features like sunspots and polar faculae. We demonstrate that in the activity belt, the butterfly pattern of sunspots coincides with the fast stream of zonal flows, although part of the sunspot distribution does spill over to the slow stream. At high latitudes, the polar faculae and zonal flow bands have similar distributions in the spatial and temporal domains.